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The Bay Area Reporter February 14, 2008In all, over 20 California cities and counties, including seven of the 10 largest cities in California, signed onto this amicus brief. In recognition of Freedom to Marry Week, Marriage Equality USA is featuring this cities and counties' amicus brief, along with an amicus brief filed by Professor M.V. Lee Badgett and senior research fellow Gary Gates, which analyzes U.S. Census data on same-sex couples in California. In partnership with the Bay Area Reporter, MEUSA is highlighting each of the 30 amicus "friend of the court" briefs submitted by hundreds of supportive organizations, professional associations, and religious institutions filed before the California Supreme Court in favor of same-sex couples' freedom to marry. [Link]

ReutersFebruary 13, 2008The trajectory of the battle for gay rights from Milk's era to today was on the minds of the movie extras for "Milk." If the upcoming California court ruling legalizes gay and lesbian couples' marriages, many supporters will see it as an epic victory and the climax of the work that Milk began. [Link]

San Jose Mercury NewsFebruary 1, 2008California's registered domestic partners are sailing in uncharted territory this tax season. For the first time, a landmark state law requires them to file their taxes as married couples — even though federal tax laws don't recognize such unions. [Link]

The Bay Area ReporterDecember 20, 2007With an estimated six-month window of opportunity until the California Supreme Court is expected to issue its decision in the same-sex marriage case, advocates with the statewide Let California Ring campaign are urging community members to step up activity in an effort to move public opinion in their direction. "The challenge to us in California is: will we use every day between now and the summer to make the same powerful case for the freedom to marry in the court of public opinion," Evan Wolfson, executive director of Freedom to Marry, told the Bay Area Reporter during an interview last week. "The clock is ticking."[Link]

365Gay.comNovember 24, 2007The San Francisco Chamber of Commerce is the latest to call for the end of excluding same-sex couples and their families from marriage in California. "Eliminating marriage discrimination in California would send a message that California promotes acceptance and equality, thus enhancing the ability of California businesses to compete nationwide for top talent," the brief stated. [Link]

The Bay Area ReporterNovember 15, 2007At bus stops around town commuters will find ads plugging a mobile phone service that are a ringing endorsement for marriage equality. Using mashed-up text on different color grids the ads read "yo wassupport gay marriage." The campaign is to promote progressive telecommunications company Working Assets' new Credo Mobile phone service. [Link]

The Union-TribuneNovember 12, 2007In the battle over gay equality, this fall was supposed to be a slow period, almost like a political time-out. Both sides were expected to spend the next few months preparing for a California Supreme Court decision on whether to overturn the state's ban on gay and lesbian couples' marriages. Instead, it's been anything but quiet. [Link]

San Francisco ChronicleOctober 31, 2007"There is an idea of LGBT families, when people think about it at all, there's this perception that it's affluent white folks, and the data show that's based on our own misperceptions," said Judy Appel, director of the Our Family Coalition in San Francisco. "We're in every neighborhood, every race, ethnicity and economic group. Our kids are playing in the playgrounds and parks with all other kids." [Link]

Contra Costa TimesOctober 14, 2007"The overall movement for LGBT equality is maturing, and the next step in that maturation as a movement is to compel our straight allies — friends, neighbors, co-workers, family members — not to just be supportive of us in private, but to publicly stand with us," said GLAAD President Neil Giuliano. [link]

Equality CaliforniaOctober 12, 2007Same-sex couples in California continue to be denied the dignity, benefits and responsibilities of marriage with the governor's veto today of legislation that would have given all committed couples the option to marry. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Friday vetoed the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act (AB 43), authored by Assemblymember Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, and sponsored by Equality California. [Link]